First, I investigated something Greg said: “…I’ve actually thought about taking down that ‘Cowboy Marathon’ record that was set at the London Marathon (3:09) as I’m pretty sure I could do that, jeans, hat and all!”

Um…did this cowboy marathon record involve jeans? Guess what? It did! Meet Rik Vercoe. His race history is pretty darn impressive. His Guinness Record is kick-ass. His quote after his record-breaking run:

“I have to say that running dressed in blue jeans and leather chaps was not the best of ideas on one of the hottest days of the year so far. Needless to say I will indeed be walking like a cowboy for at least a week.”

Ladies and Gentleman! I want to introduce you to Greg, the first pacer we have seen IN JEANS! He paced the Calgary Marathon 10K on May 31st.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and the mini-Q&A session as much as I did. And know that it is impossible for you to love him as much as I do. #JustSayin

1. What gave you the idea of running dressed as a cowboy/in jeans?

Earlier in the spring, I hurt my Achilles tendon so I wasn’t racing; my coach’s orders in fact were to skip the Calgary 10k race. Of course I told her I wouldn’t “race”….which to me meant I had to find another reason to run it as I didn’t want to miss out on the day’s festivities. I had the idea of doing a Western look, especially since it’s Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I did a trial run 24 hours before just to make sure the outfit was “runnable” and heard a few honking horns as people saw me running along the pathways in jeans and a hat.

2. What were some of the questions/comments from spectators and runners?

I think the cameras were following me before the race because I kept getting people wanting to take their picture with me and race officials were commenting, “You’re racing in THAT???!”….to which of course I answered them, “No, I’m the 45-minute Pace Cowboy” as I had the sign pinned to my back. On the course, I definitely heard a lot of “OMG’s” and “Wow, look at that guy!” I also got a lot of “Wow, I feel bad because a guy in jeans beat me in the race!”

3. How bad was the chafing?

There was ZERO chafing. The biggest issue I found was that the jeans and shirt held in the moisture and felt a little heavy towards the end and the felt cowboy hat held in moisture like crazy! Here is a picture of me near the finish line, note the sweat on my head as the hat held it all in!

4. Any advice for others who want to be as awesome as you and give running in jeans a try?

When it comes to giving advice for running in jeans, I think the two big things are: 1) Make sure they’re a comfortable pair of jeans – I couldn’t imagine running in skinny jeans or something that cut off circulation and 2) Take a test run to get a good feel – learn how they flex, how they might feel heavier after a few miles, and what to expect when you do a race in your jeans. Knowing what I know now, I’ve actually thought about taking down that “Cowboy Marathon” record that was set at the London Marathon (3:09) as I’m pretty sure I could do that, jeans, hat and all!

Like I said, go ahead and give it a whirl, but there is no way you can love him as much as I do.

Davide, a follower from Italy, has been brightening my days by sending me pictures of himself running in a variety of costumes.* He REALLY made my day last month when he sent pictures from the Dieci Miglia di Maria Luigia (Google Translate helped me out: Maria Luidia 10 Miler).

Look closely at the pictures below. Davide does everything right: jorts, belt, dress shirt, big smile, and then sent race photos to me at JoggingJeans@gmail.com. Learn from this star student.

Can I say again how much I LOVE the guys and gals over at Wingate University? The second annual Jorts Mile was yesterday and here are some teaser photos to keep you entertained until I can get my hands on more.

The SIGN! The sign is made out of pairs of jeans!

The TROPHIES! The trophies for the winners!

The RUNNERS!

So magnificent! Wanna bet that the smile on my face is bigger than yours?

“Running or jogging jeans is all about transcending all the normal BS materials and rituals people think they need in order to run well. It’s about being someone who will run whenever and wherever the moment strikes. There is much to learn from a person who runs in jeans.”

All you running apparel snobs better hang onto your overpriced visors. The running-in-denim craze is sweeping the WORLD! London Marathon. April 21, 2013. Count ’em: 1, 2, 3 people in jeans. At least three. There were probably more. A LOT more.

1. Danny Price, the brother of English celeb Katy Price, ran the full marathon IN JEANS in support of Jeans for Genes. I wrote about him and the charity here after he donned denim for the Brighton Half Marathon.

2. This dude rockin’ jeans and a leather jacket. He’s obviously not racing for speed, but he’s won my heart.

3. And this thing. Am I supposed to know what it is? Who cares. Just love it because it supports running in jeans.